Coin-controlled vending-machine



W. MILLARD.

com CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-1,1919.

Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

IN l/E/V TOR A TTOHNE Y TED snares PATENT OFICE.

WILLIAM MILLARD, on NEW form, n. Y., ASSIGNOB T0 MILLABDS GUM VENDIN CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF new YORK.

COIN-CONTROLLED VENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 11", 1919.

Application filed March 1, 1919. Serial No. 279,975.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM IVIILLARD, a subject of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Vending-Niachines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

The invention relates to coin-controlled vending machines, and more particularly to a type thereof wherein the coin deposited in the machine serves as the coupling member between the actuating mechanism. and the merchandise delivering mechanism.

In a machine of the character to which my invention relates, the merchandise is stored in a receptacle having on the bottom thereof a rotatable member adapted to segregate merchandise to be delivered upon the deposit of the coin in the machine and convey it to a chute by which it is delivered from the receptacle. Mounted upon this receptacle and in said rotatable member, is a rotatable coin chute, the rotatable member being slotted to receive the portion of a coin projecting from said chute, so that the coin will simultaneously engage said rotatable member and the Walls of the chute, thus imparting the rotative movement of said chute to said member in one direction only, the coin being permitted to pass from the chute to a coin recelver substantially simultaneously with the delivery of the merchandise, the coin chute being immediately returned to normal under the influence of a spring, when the coin passes from said coin chute, I

In a machine made in accordance with my invention, the coin controlling mecha nism is so constructed that when a coin of the proper diameter is deposited in the machine, it will be so positioned in relation to the rotary member as to minimize any likelihood of the rotation of the coin chute disengaging the coin from the rotatable member, while at the same time so positioning the coin in relation to said member that upon the completion of the movement thereof necessary to effect a delivery of the merchandise, or even shortly prior thereto,

the coin will be capable of such movement as to engage a fixed part of the bottom plate of the receptacle, and thus prevent the coin remaining in the coin chute during the subsequent returnm'ovement of said chute. The construction is also such that immediately upon the delivery of the merchandise, the coin will be brought into such relation to an opening in said bottom plate as will permit it to drop freely into the coin receiver, thus permitting the coin chute to return to normal, the various parts being so constructed that sufficient play is afforded between the coin chute, the cooperating portionof the movable member and the coin delivery opening in the bottom of the container, to free the coin from all bind-- ing stresses, thus permitting it to drop freely from the coin chute and through said rotatable member.

In addition to the foregoing characteristics, I provide means for retaining the coin chute and its actuating means in relation to the top of the receptacle, said means also being so constructed as to limit the rotative movement of the coin chute in op-' posite directions in a manner to insure the proper positioning of said chute in relation to the slots in the cooperating portion of the rotatable member, to properly position the coin chute when the machine is to be actuated, to limit the rotative movement of said member under the control of the coin chute and the coin contained therein, and to arrest rotative ,movement of the coin chute and the cooperating means in the proper relation tothe coin delivery opening in the bottom of the receptacle.

In addition to the foregoing mechanism, I so. construct the machine that'the operation of the rotatable member, except through the deposit of a coin in the machine, is prevented.

The invention consists in a coin-controlled vending machine embodying therein the novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and described, and more particularly pointed out inthe claims hereto appended.

' Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a machine embodying my invention; V, Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of 1, with the'coiri chute removed, I p Fig. 3 is enlarged detailed View of a portion at the bottom of the receptacle Cir showing the manner of forming the coin delivery opening; and

Fig. 4: is a plan view of the coin chute with the actuating member removed and a portion of the top of the receptacle cooperating with the coin chute to retain it in position in relation to said top, to prevent its removal from the receptacle and limit its rotative movement.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, I employ a merchandise receptacle consisting of a glass casing 64 mounted upon a metallic base 6, the depressed top Z) of which base forms the bottom of the receptacle. A top 0 for said receptacle is secured to said base and held in engagement with said casing, by means of suitable tie rods a, said top having an overhung flange inclosing the upper edge of said casing.

The base 5 is provided with a removable bottom 72 having a close fit within said base and being secured in position therein by means of oppositely disposed pins 6 and b which respectively pass through an opening in the wall of said base and into a depres sion formed therein.

The bottom 5 of the receptacle has formed therein a' discharge opening (Z, a filling opening (Z closed by a plate (Z and a coin discharge opening, which will be more fully referred to hereinafter, through which coins may escape into the base Z), a portion of which serves as a coin receiver.

Within the base Z) and communicating with the opening Z is a troughed chute 6 opening into an opening 6 through the side wall of said base, through which merchandise, (which is shown in the drawings as being chewing gum in ball form) may be delivered from the receptacle to the user of the machine.

The upper face of the bottom 6 of the receptacle is provided with an upwardly presented circulan flange f upon which is mounted a rotatable member 9 having suitable openings 9 adapted to receive, one at a time, the balls of gum and convey them successively beneath the baflie plate 9 and thus cause one ball of gum at a time to be delivered through the opening (Z.

The hub of said rotatable member is provided with a circular depression 9 adapted to have rotatably mounted therein, the lower end of a tubular member it having therein acoin chute consisting of a troughed member it having parallel, walls, a portion of the lower part of each of which walls terminates above the rotatable member 9, for a purpose which will more fully appear hereinafter. The lower end of the remaining portion of each of said walls is suitably braced by means of the flanges 72F and. 7L3 projecting there-from into engagement with the tubular member 7L.

Rig-idly secured to said member h is an actuating member or hand-hold i by means of which the coin chute may be rotated, said member 2" being rotatably mounted upon a ring 0 projecting upwardly of the top 0. This ring 0 has an inturned segment 0 at the top thereof cooperating with a segmental lug 7' permanently attached to the tube It and projecting beneath said segment 0 which is thus positioned between said lug and the member 11 so as to prevent the removal of the tubular member h.

The ring 0 has a segment thereof cut away to present oppositely disposed shoulders 0 and 0 adapted in cooperation with the stop lug 7' carried by the tube h, to limit the rotative movementof said tube and its contained coin chute, in either direction. The lug j is normally held in engagement with one of said shoulders by means of the torsion spring 70, one end of which is attached to the cover 0 and the other end of which is attached to said tubular member h.

The hand-hold i has a coin slot through the top thereof registering with the coin chute it.

Under normal conditions the tube It is adapted to rotate freely in relation to the rotatable member 9, the construction of parts being such that when a coin is deposited in the chute it, this coin will come to rest upon the bottom 6 of the receptacle, and by engagement with suitable slots through the member 9, couple the tube It to said member 9 and thus permit the transmission of rotary movement from said tube to said member to an extent necessary to permit the delivery of a single ball of gum. In order to prevent the repeated actuation of the member 9 with the deposit of but one coin, and insure the desired area of contact between the coin and the member 7, I so construct the member 9' and coin discharge opening, that the coin will pass partially through said member 9 and partially through said discharge opening, the openings through said member 9. and said discharge opening being so formed that upon the limit of the feeding movement of the member 9, the coin will lock said member against return movement. if it be sought to rapidly reverse the direction of movement of the tube, and drop freely through said discharge opening under normal conditions.

The bottom of the recess in the hub of the member g in which the tube It is mounted, has an opening therethrough from which two pairs of slots, m m' and nn, extend, each slot having a long side wall and a short side wall, the former of which is slightly inclined away from the latter. The short wall of the slots of each pair extends substantially radially of the tube 71, while the long walls thereof are upon opposite sides of the diameter upon which the short walls of the same pair extend. V

Th coin discharge opening in the bottom 6 of the receptacle consists of a circular portion 0, concentric with the ring 7 having straight slots 0 and 0 one of which extends upon one side of a diameter of said circular portion 0, and the other of which is upon the other side of said diameter. The diameter of the circular portion 0 is less than the distance between the ends of either pair of slots mm or nn so that under normal conditions the edge of a coin passing through said slots mm or -nn may project for a short distance into and through the opening 0, but will be prevented by the portion of the top I) about said opening, from dropping into the coin receiver until the slots mm or n-n are over the slots 00 Extending across the opening 6' eXteriorly of the base 6, is a looped receiver 79 of a width to prevent the finger to be thrust through said opening in a manner to turn the member 9 and thus fraudulently obtain merchandise.

The operation of the herein described machine is substantially as follows Under normal conditions the spring 7c will hold the tubular portion h in a position where the lug j will be held in engagement with the stop shoulder 0 upon'the ring 0, the coin chute it being in substantial alinement with the slots mm through the hub of the rotatable member 9, a portion of the base 6 being exposed through said slots mwt as shown in Fig. 2.

When a coin is deposited in the slot 2", it will fall through the chute h passing through the slots m nt and the circular opening 0 of the bottom b',until further movement is arrested by the engagement of the periphery of the coin with the portion of said bottom about said circular opening,

\Vhen the coin is in this position, as shown in Fig. 1, it forms a coupling between the chute h and its appurtenances and the member g, so that the user may, by imparting a clockwise movement to the actuating means or hand-hold i, simultaneously rotate the tube It and member g, the coin having movement about the opening 0. i

It will be observed that the cut-away portions of the walls of the chute h at the bottom thereof cause the chute to engage the coin upon opposite faces thereof and upon opposite radii of the tube It and that the arrangement of the slots mm will cause will be firmly g1'ip1')e c l between the walls of the coin chute and the walls of saidslots,-

in addition to being held in this position by the bottom 7) about the opening 0. Upon the completion of a 90 movement of the tube It, the lug y" will engage the shoulder a and arrest further movementof these parts, a ball of gum at substantially the same time passing under the bafiie g and dropping through the opening d into the chute e from which it will pass within the looped guard p which will hold it in a position where it is conveniently accessible to the user of the machine.

Owing to the inability to so nicely proportion the parts as to insure the delivery of the merchandise when the slots mm are in register with the discharge opening, it ordinarily would be possible for a user, by turning the tube It very slowly, to cause the delivery of the merchandise before the coin could escape from the said slots mm, thus permitting a reversal of movement of the tube It with the coin therein in a manner to return the rotatable member 9 and thus secure more than one article for a single coin. To obviate thiscondition, Icut awayi the opposite portions at the bottom of the walls of the chute h, in the manner described, so that should an article be delivered while one edge of the coin is engaged with the bottom I) about the opening 0, the chute.

may be instantly rotated contra-clockwise by i the spring is, without imparting movement to the coin and therethrough to the member 9. But even with this condition, the coin will remain in the slots 'mm, thus clogging the machine. By forming the slots mm and nn"as described, it is necessary to hold the coin in engagement with the short wall of these slots by means of the chute 7t, and by forming the discharge opening 0 and its slots 0'0 as described, immediately upon the coin being relieved from pressure by the chute h and as the merchandise is delivered, on edge of the coin will drop into the slot 0, thus causing such toppling movement of the coin in the slots mm as to cause the coin to fall toward the long walls of both slots mm', and the other edge of the coin to fall through the opening 0 into the receiver in the base 6.

If a slug be used of a length to span the out out portion of the chute it, its lower edge will drop into the slot of and if it be attempted to turn the member contraclockwise, the wall of the bottom 6 will check a return movement of the slug, and hence any movement of the chute h, and member 5/, except a clockwise movement .which will permit the escape of the slug through the coin discharge opening.

By forming the slots va -m and 11% as described, the slots of each pair are in their entirety upon opposite sides of a given diameter ofsaid depression 9 so that just prior to the delivery of the merchandise; the

coin or slug will be held suspended over the opening 0 and slots 00 by the chute 72. and member 9 and will instantly fall through said openings and said slot when relieved of pressure from said chut The width of the slots 0*0 permits excess movement of the member 9 without any re sultant binding action upon the coin be tween the member 9 and the bottom Z), since these slots 00 are upon opposite sides of the same diameter of the ring The lug y" will limit the rotative move ment to substantially 90 thus cooperating with the particular slot formations described in insuring a release of the coin and its delivery into the base 6 without possibility of its clogging the machine.

Two pairs of slots, mm and nn, are used so that a 90 movement of the member 9, through the medium of a coin in one pair, will bring the other pair into a position where the chute it will, upon its return movement, be alined therewith preparatory to the succeeding actuation of the machine.

It is not my intention of limiting the invention to the precise details of construction shown in the drawings, it being apparent that such may be varied, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent, is:-

l. A coin-controlled vending machine embodying therein a receptacle provided with a bottom having a coin discharge opening therethrough, a rotatable member mounted upon said bottom and adapted to deliver merchandise from said receptacle, and a coin chute rotatably mounted in relation to said receptacle and said member, said member having therethrough an opening and a pair of slots having short walls diametrically opposite each other and long walls upon opposite sides of said diameter, said coin discharge opening having a central circular opening through which a coin may project and slots extending on opposite sides of a diameter of said circular opening; and the bottom walls of said coin chute being cut away on opposite sides of the center of said .to deliver merchandise from said receptacle,

a coin chute provided with actuating means inclosing and rotatably mounted upon said ring, a lug adapted to pass under said inturned flange and a stop lug adapted to engage the opposite edges of said segmental opening to define the rotative movement of said chute, and a spring adapted to normally engage said stop lug with one of said edges, said rotatable member having therethrough an opening and a pair of slots having short walls diametrically opposite each other and ,long walls upon opposite sides of said diameter, said coin discharge opening having acentral circular opening through which a coin may project and slots extending on opposite sides of a diameter of said circular opening; and the bottom walls of said coin chute being cut away on opposite sides of the center of said chute, whereby a coin will be engaged upon opposite sides and adjacent opposite edges thereof by the Walls of said chute, and will engage one wall only of said slots in said member, and when, released by a return movement of said chute, will drop freely through said member and said discharge opening.

ln witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature, this 17th day of February, 1919, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM MILLARD. Witnesses A. E. BENTON, F. T. VVENTWORTH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. l 

